Honda 3R-C Concept-Honda has been delving deep into the weird lately

Honda has been delving deep into the weird lately, but at least this latest concept is something you sit in, rather than on (the unicycle), or next to while it plays a trumpet—oops, that’s Toyota’s robot; Honda’s Asimo only walks and shakes old people’s hands. Never mind.

The three-wheeled 3R-C will debut at the Geneva auto show, where it will share floor space with the decidedly less weird EV-N. Like the EV-N, the 3R-C is an electric vehicle, although this one only holds one occupant, rather snugly it appears—kind of like an electric sock you drive. The batteries are said to sit low in the vehicle, keeping the center of gravity close to the ground.

Look Out! Look In?

Honda says that, in motion, the 3R-C’s canopy provides the driver “significant protection from the bodywork and doors,” which are apparently out to get him or her. Perhaps that’s what the Japanese see fuelling driving excitement in the electric future: vehicles that actively try to kill their occupants. Exhibit A: Toyota. (We kid!) In front of the driver is a lockable trunk, so in that way it’s less like a Toyota and more like a Porsche.

We can’t totally blame the 3R-C’s weirdness on Japan, however, as the vehicle was created at Honda’s research and design facility in Milan—Italy, not the Milan south of our office that the people pronounce “My-lin.”

Lamborghini’s chief rival, Ferrari, might be charting new waters

Lamborghini’s chief rival, Ferrari, might be charting new waters by unveiling a hybrid at theGeneva auto show, but the bucking-bull brand is sticking to tried and true formulas with its news. The Gallardo LP570-4 Superleggera follows exactly the recipe laid out by its predecessor: less weight, more power. But now that the basic Gallardo LP560-4 puts out 552 horses, the total for the Superleggera sneaks up to 562, courtesy of a more liberal engine-management programming. The power peak still occurs at a siren-song 8000 rpm, and torque remains 398 lb-ft at 6500 rpm.

Lambo says 0 to 60 mph will take only 3.4 seconds, with 124 (200 km/h) passing in just 10.2. Terminal velocity is 202 mph. However, a regular-strength Gallardo we tested recently needed only 3.2 seconds to hit the 60-mph mark. That car also took a mere 11.2 seconds to trip the quarter-mile timing lights at a speed of 130 mph, which suggests that the new Superleggera will land safely among the quickest production cars we’ve ever tested. Lamborghini’s e-gear automated manual transmission will be standard, although we expect that, like the previous car, the Superleggera will offer the gated six-speed manual as a no-cost option. With e-gear, fuel economy is said to be 14 mpg in the city, 20 on the highway. Good luck finding the restraint to achieve those figures.

Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG

AMG announced its future drivetrain strategy today, in an attempt to make its vehicles more fuel efficient while maintaining their performance. This means that instead of shoehorning a 6.2-liter V-8 into everything, it will tailor specific powerplants to specific cars. The first product to see the fruits of this strategy will be the S63 AMG, which receives a new twin-turbo 5.5-liter V-8 for 2011.

Hyundai i-flow Concept-Hyundai’s recently activated “fluidic sculpture”

Hyundai’s recently activated “fluidic sculpture” corporate design philosophy has resulted in some very handsome vehicles—witness the newTucson and Sonata—but even in the principles at its very core, it is basically a copy of Mazda’s “Nagare” style. If there is one way for a copycat to silence critics, however, it is to best the original. With the i-flow concept debuting at the Geneva auto show, Hyundai may have done just that.

2010 Koenigsegg Agera - Gallery

How can you not love Koenigsegg? Despite minuscule production numbers of about 80 cars since 2002, the Swedish supercar company continues to build new models and variants. The latest such effort, the Agera, debuted at theGeneva auto show.

Alfa Romeo. Maserati. BMW. Bugatti. Ferrari

Alfa Romeo. Maserati. BMW. Bugatti. Ferrari. Those are just a few of the nameplates with which the Giugaro name has been associated. You can now add Proton to the list. (Of course, the list also includes less luminescent brands like Hyundai, De Lorean, and Isuzu.)

Unless you’re a Lotus aficionado, you may have never heard of Proton—it is the majority stakeholder in Lotus—but the Malaysian manufacturer is aiming to change that. These concepts, which celebrate the brand’s 25th anniversary, are intended to signal “worldwide ambitions.” The name “Emas” is Malay for “gold,” and also stands for Eco Mobility Advanced Solutions. The Eco part of the name is represented by the various possible powertrains, which include plug-in hybrid and pure-electric systems. The plug-in hybrid system was developed by Lotus and mates a 51-hp, 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine with a 101-hp electric motor and an 11.5-kWh lithium-ion battery pack.

There were three cars on display at the Geneva auto show, but only one was mostly real. That would be the Emas Comfort, a four-seat, five-door hatchback that Giugaro and Proton say delivers the interior volume of a D-segment car or crossover—think Mazda 6 or CX-7—in the exterior space of an A-segment city car. The Comfort is just 139.8 inches long, or about six inches shorter than a Mini Cooper. The interior is airy and bright, and has some fancy concept-car touches like door-grip-mounted button pods, but most of the technology isn’t too far out there, including an iPhone dock, USB inputs, a pair of large information screens on the dash, and a touch-screen center console for controlling car settings and the stereo. The last screen also offers internet browsing capability, for when you need to translate “Ciao, bella!” into Malay.

The other two concepts are at this point mere styling bucks with no interiors. One is the Emas Country, a more-rugged-looking, three-door, five-passenger version of the Comfort, while the other is the Emas3, a three-meter-long, electric-only city-car version of the platform that rides on a wheelbase reduced by almost 22 inches. The Emas3 would theoretically offer 3+1 seating, where the seat behind the driver would have reduced legroom.

Given these cars’ size and target audience, Proton’s “worldwide ambitions” likely mean extending its European footprint outside of the U.K., where it currently sells a few different models, for now. It’s unclear if the plans call for U.S. distribution—we’d hope for something a little more substantial than these small city cars if they do—but given its respectful stewardship and nurturing of Lotus, we’d trust the Malaysian company to deliver decent vehicles at this point far more than we would almost any Chinese company. We won’t pretend to prognosticate any further, but if Giugaro stays involved, at least Proton’s future will be stylish.

General Motors draws on global designers

For the first time, General Motors studios across the world have submitted design studies for the next-generation Chevrolet Corvette.

Late last year, Ed Welburn, GM's vice president of global design, invited GM's 10 styling studios to submit design proposals.

Some "were absolutely phenomenal," Welburn said. "There is a lot to pick from. The direction that we take is very important, and the decision has not been made."

Global input on the Corvette's design is one of several steps GM is taking to attract buyers in Europe, where the car has little appeal, and young U.S. buyers who favor imports.

"We have challenges in the States with the Corvette," Welburn said in an interview at the Geneva auto show. "The average age of the customer is really rising."

The current average age of a Corvette buyer is 54, according to the Power Information Network, a unit of J.D. Power and Associates.

Corvette sales are in a tailspin. Last year 13,934 were sold in the United States, down 48 percent from 2008.

The current Corvette debuted in the 2005 model year. Prices range from $49,880 for the base coupe to $107,830 for the ZR-1. Both prices include shipping.

A redesign is due in two to three years, industry sources say.

Corvette critics often cite the sports car's size, saying it looks big. They also point to what they say is a cheap-looking interior.

Welburn admitted the interior has a problem: "The execution, materials selection--it's got to be a much better interior. Our customers desire that."

Welburn said today's Corvette is about the same size as the Porsche 911, but the styling makes it look bigger. "We have to develop a design that feels trimmer, meaner, to go along with the incredible performance that the car has," he said.

In addition to styling, content, pricing and marketing strategy are under discussion, he said.

"It is a key time in the development of the Corvette," Welburn said. "There is a lot of debate and a lot of study on the bandwidth of Corvette."

But, he added, "It can't mutate into something that gets so far away from Corvette that it is no longer a Corvette."